By 
An SEC/ACC battle is on tonight in Nashville, Tennessee, when the Kentucky Wildcats take on the Clemson Tigers in the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl. Both teams have lost five games but have played well down the stretch, particularly Clemson, who had a shot at the Orange Bowl before losing in the conference championship game. Each team started slow, Kentucky started 2-3 before winning all but two of the last seven outings, while Clemson lost two of their first four before heating up down the stretch. Competitiveness hasn’t been an issue for either of these teams, as the Wildcats have been toughened up by the rigors of the SEC, and all five of the Tigers’ losses have come by less than ten points. The last time these two met was in 2006, when the Wildcats pulled off a spirited 28-20 victory. This may not be the desired destination for these two teams, but look for some spirited competition as they look to represent the style of their conferences.
As we stated above, the Kentucky Wildcats really began to find their niche towards the end of the season, winning five of their last seven games. A 30-24 overtime loss to Tennessee ended their season, but the Wildcats have proven to be a team not to be taken lightly. However, good things have come out of this season for Rich Brooks and company, as they have had the school’s longest winning streak against non-conference opponents at 18 games, which is also the second longest in the country. Brooks hopes to have starting quarterback Michael Hartline for tonight, as the young quarterback has been out since early October with a knee injury. Hartline has been up and down this year, completing 59.4% of his passes for 802 yards but throwing seven interceptions instead of just six touchdowns. If he can’t play, it will be under center Morgan Newton, who has completed 55.4% of his attempts for 608 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. Whether it’s Hartline or Newton throwing passes, expect the focal point of the offense to be Randall Cobb, who has been the team’s most dangerous weapon this year. Cobb has caught 37 receptions for 427 yards and four touchdowns, while racking up an additional 537 yards and ten touchdowns on the ground. He is joined in backfield by Derrick Locke, who leads the team in rushing with 843 yards and six touchdowns. These two have allowed the team to average 27.2 points and 336.1 yards despite inconsistencies at quarterback. Defense has been the Wildcats’ strong suit in 2009, as they have held their opponents to 22.8 points/362.9 yards per game. Cornerback Trevard Lindley has been a great playmaker for Brooks’ defense, which will be without starting linebacker Sam Maxwell.
After a slow start, the Clemson Tigers clinched the crown in the ACC’s sticky Atlantic Division, with a 6-2 record, before coming up just short of Georgia Tech in the conference title game. Dabo Sweeney’s team has been very competitive in 2009, with three of their five losses coming by five points or less to teams that were ranked in the top ten at the time. Much of the credit must go to senior running back CJ Spiller, who literally ran away with the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year award. The lightning-fast Spiller needs just 349 total yards tonight to become the nation’s all-time leader in all-purpose yards. Whether running back, receiver or returner, Spiller has been dynamic, single-handedly winning at least three games for the Tigers. Clemson is far from a one-man band, however, as quarterback Kyle Parker has made a good amount of dirt for this offense. All-ACC receivers Jacoby Ford and Michael Palmer are dangerous when they have the ball in their hands, especially Ford, who has speed similar to that of a sprinter. With all this talent on offense, it’s no surprise that the Tigers are averaging 31.9 points on 366.5 total yards, but it’s been his defense that has kept this team together. This unit is allowing just 21.0 points per game, on 317.2 yards, with linebacker Brandon Maye and defensive end Ricky Sapp leading the way. The duo have posted 22 tackles for loss, while the defense as a whole has fielded 21 takeoffs. They’ve also been strong against the run, allowing just 3.5 yards per carry.